CIA at Lewes

CIA IN THE PEACEFUL TOWN OF LEWES

A CIA report, noted in the Wilmingtom News Journal on June 11, 1975, states that the

Lewes Police Agency has received from the CIA, gratuties, for being helpful to the agency. The tiny police force of Lewes would hardly seem qualified to receive a high level international intrigue message of such, but it did.

The reason was that former CIA Director, Richard Helms, has been raveling back and forth between Lewes and Washington, D.C. recently to answer to congress probers about illegal spying

and assassination plots.

During his years as CIA director, Helms, would escape the battles of Washington to a summer

cottage here , Wit's End, at 1303 Cedar Avenue, which is owned by his wife, Cynthia Retcliff McKelvie. The 'gift' was , according to the report, given to the Lewes police for their assistance when it was thought that Helms life was in danger. Chief Louis Fisher, Lewes Police Department, said that if Helms life was in danger he did not know anything about it andtold us that a few year ago the department was asked “to keep an eye on the cottage when Helms was in town” by an agent of the CIA

and his men were instructed to drive by the cottage, time to time, to see if it was OK. Not a great

urgency was noticed. Most of the time we only knew he was here when we saw his car in the drive.

Just what the gift was is another question. Fisher told of a walkie-talkie they sent once but it would not work on the Lewes system and was returned. Fisher and City Manager, Ron Donovan, were guest once at the CIA in Washington for a tour, maybe that was the gift.

A case of government intrigue gone by unnoticed by the peaceful beach town of Lewes.

Source: Sussex Bureau, Wilmington News Journal , Wednesday, June 11, 1975, abstact by Harrison H ., November 11, 2017